Doushite
by Exploding Dandelion
Summary: She hated his family's guts and she was after the girl he had a crush on. Their clans were rivals. She was part of a plan to destroy the world. She'd crushed his brother's heart. He had every reason to want her gone and she had every reason to want him dead. But Donatello can't answer her question, doesn't even understand his actions himself. Only that he did it.
1. I

**This is a bit of an experiment that got into my head a short while ago. At first I was utterly perplexed, but then I got excited and even more excited as it started to play out. I don't know how others will take it, as it is unusual, but nothing ventured nothing gained, right? Hope you'll take a chance. **

**Not sure exactly when this takes place, but I know it's after "Slash and Destroy." I don't see this being longer than three or four chapters. There's only one word the reader may or may not know, and you may still be able to understand from the context. If not, a note will be added.**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you'll fav, alert, _review_, and continue with this story.**

**And enjoy, of course!**

* * *

Night had fallen hours ago and Donatello and April had finally started their way back to April's aunt's apartment, books beating against their sides. Casey "Punk Face" Jones had blissfully left them alone for the evening and Don couldn't be happier. He smiled at April whenever she spoke, chuckling and inching closer, backing away every now and again when he lost his nerve or realized just how close he come. She thanked him for going over the last trigonometry lecture with her, sighing to herself.

"Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without you, Donnie."

Don's breath hitched, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Aw, you would have gotten it on your own. You're already smart."

Don nearly choked when April blushed, glancing between her and the sidewalk as they made a turn.

"Still," she said after a quick recovery breath, "you've been a big help. I mean, my grade has just shot up and it's all thanks to you. And now I can explain this lesson to Casey when I need to tutor him tomorrow." April failed to notice Don's face fall or his eyes roll, grinning as she continued, "Hey, you should come! It's been a while since we've hung out together like this. And I think we could really make some progress if we offered our own methods of teaching to him. Maybe he'd understand things more if he was exposed to both..."

Don doubted Casey would be able to understand much of anything he had to say, trigonometry related or not. But a chance to spend time with April, minus his brothers and the fumes in his lab could not be passed up so easily. Even if he was stuck with the angry puck head Jones.

"Donnie? Donnie, are you in there?"

Face burning, Don nodded quickly and took a minor step away. "Y-Yeah, I'd love to study with you and...Jones. Sit out at the park on a cool night, pour over some mathematics." _Try in vain to make Jones understand it_, Don added to himself.

"Great! I've been worried about you lately-" Donatello ducked into an alley when several cars sped past, joining back with April once the last taillight disappeared into the distance. "I know you've been working on that retro-mutagen, but sometimes I'm worried you're pushing yourself too hard." Guilt crept into her face and Don shook his head.

"It's really not so bad, April. I mean, someone has to do it and a lot of people are counting on that retro-mutagen." They were only a couple more blocks away from the apartment, but both Donatello and April's footsteps slowed to a crawl. Don strained to see more from his peripheral vision, keeping his face locked straight ahead. The turtle's heart almost stopped when April reached for his arms, the girl smiling nervously.

"Don."

"Think of all the people it could help, all the lives it could fix-" Don made a show of looking behind, eyes darting from April's face to the side, his head not moving. April felt both hot and nauseous, skin ready to peel from her bones.

"It's only one person," April muttered. She followed Donatello's lead in not turning back. Every move she made felt heavy with someone else's eyes on her and she glanced up at Don.

"Just one?" He didn't ask her how she knew, mind whirring with possibilities and plans. At April's nod, he whispered, I know you're not going like this."

"Don..."

"But I'm going to hang back and give you time-"

"No," she hissed.

"We're too close to your aunt's apartment. If we stick too close, and too close together, it'll give her time-"

"Her?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Karai. Anyone else would have attacked us by now and I don't see why they'd send a single Footbot."

April raised an eyebrow. "What of they're trying to find a location, like before?"

"I think they'd stick with the swarm tactic. It's the best way to give a single Footbot the time to gather the data and get away safely."

"I still don't see why I have to go around while you-"

Donatello came to a complete stop, tugging April by the arm. She gave him a perplexed look, her eyes drifting to the rooftops. She wasn't sure if the shadows were moving or not, but her chest tightened at the thought. Looking back at Don, she blinked at the small smile on his face.

"You already know there's just one person there. We haven't been attacked yet, so that rules out Fishface and Rahzar. I don't think they'd send one Footbot to do a team's job. I'm almost one hundred percent certain it's Karai and we both know how she feels about you."

April rolled her eyes and nodded. "But, Donnie-"

"We both have working t-phones. If things get _really_ bad, we can contact my brothers and they'll come back me up."

"Don..." she groaned, shoulders slumping.

"It's more important that you're safe and location unknown." He gently squeezed her hand, unsheathing his staff and swinging it between them. A single shuriken flew toward April, embedding in the staff instead.

Her lips turned up. "You better call me in half an hour."

Don's heart fluttered. "Y-You got it. Maybe forty-five minutes-just in case."

Three more shuriken rained down from above, Don turning and swiping them away with his staff. He listened for April's footsteps and she skidded into an alley and started sprinting down into another block, eyes zeroing in on a lone, shadowed figure moving along the rooftops. Taking a deep breath he jumped onto the awning of one apartment and propelled himself to the wall of its neighbor building. Hopping between the two complexes, Don made his way to the roof and shot south to intercept the attacker.

The figure's attention remained solely on April now, Don getting close enough to see several shuriken sitting ready between her fingers before he dove at Karai's middle, sending her spilling onto the roof. Her head scraped the cement and she growled, kicking the turtle in the stomach. Coughing, Don grabbed her hand and jerked the weapons out of her fingers, the metal clattering around their heads before he kicked her and rolled away.

Karai and Donatello stood up without breaking their eye lock, breathing hard. Karai's eyes were flashing, the gold almost burning in anger. "What's wrong, did I ruin your date?"

Don jumped, jaw dropping. "It wasn't a date, we were just studying together." Karai snorted, charging at Don and throwing a punch to his face. He stepped away, grunting when she kneed his stomach. Growling, he swung his staff around and knocked her back, sending her stumbling forward.

"Oh, that's right," she tried between breaths. "She's into that other one now, right?" Don's blood burned, stomach coiling painfully. "I hope you didn't actually think that would last. You do remember you're a _turtle_, right?"

"Shut it," he snapped, swinging around again, missing her head while he stepped around each of her punches and kicks.

"What, hit a nerve? You turtles sure are sensitive." She smirked when she saw the blush through Don's skin, easily dodging his angry swing. "And I thought you were supposed to be smart. Do you really think you have a shot with her, or do you just like torturing yourself."

Donatello caught himself, easing back into a neutral stance before he could throw another useless punch or swing. _She's baiting you, calm down. Baiting you._

"And what about you?" he said, narrowing his eyes. Shuriken and kunai sailed toward him in a metal wave, Don moving his body around them fluidly. "It's the Kraang that are after April, but what about you? I thought you were only angry at us?"

Karai glared. "It is just them. We're working together, what did you think I would do?" She didn't give him time to answer, pulling out a small sword and charging again. Don whipped his head away, feeling the wind breeze by his skin.

"And that's why you tried to have her destroyed? That's why you're attacking her now?"

_What am I doing? Just finish up and go! Stop talking to her. Just stop._

Karai hissed, aiming for his head again. Don ducked low and kicked at her ankle, hearing a faint crack as Karai lost her footing. Gasping in pain, she fell into a roll, eyes burning.

"So what? You're all doe-eyed over some girl you don't even have a shot with, why do you care?"

"I care because she's important to me and everyone's after her," Don shot back. "She has enough going on without you trying to kill her."

"Oh, and I don't?" The venom in Karai's voice made him flinch. Her eyes were unusually bright and Don barely noticed the sword in time to dodge. "I don't have problems of my own? Especially thanks to your turtles, to _Leo_." She spat the name out and this time sliced Don's shoulder, blood trailing down his arm and he jumped away. Karai did not relent, swinging again and again, leaving Don with barely enough time to dodge or block. "I have to hunt this girl down for the Kraang and make sure my father stays safe and my honor secure, and I have to make sure nothing happens to April, because she's so important and the Kraang need her." Karai was breathless, her words and the fight exhausting her.

Another cut, this time in his leg. Everything felt too hot and Karai's voice was so loud to Don's ears. "And why? That's what I don't get. What makes your little princess so special, what makes her so great and important?" Donatello gasped when he felt the edge of the roof, grunting when Karai kicked him over. Dropping his staff, he grabbed Karai's arm and dragged her down with him, both landing on the fabric of an awning before it tore and dropped them to the sidewalk.

Snarling, Karai lifted her sword and made to jam it into Donatello's neck. Don shouted and kicked Karai square in the chest. She coughed and sputtered as she flew into the street, stopping to catch her breath when Don heard it.

A car. It sped down the street, blowing two stop signs and heading straight for Karai. Don was already struggling to get up, blood oozing out of his wounds and body swaying. Karai was still coughing, head shooting up at the screeching sound as she clambered to her feet, howling when her ankle snapped again and she dropped to the road.

Don saw it, heard the crack of her bone and the pain in her voice; saw her struggle to drag herself away, one hand fighting to grab a kunai to blow the tires out or shatter the glass or _something_ to slow down the vehicle, and before he even knew it he was throwing himself across the road.

His arms caught around hers and he wrapped himself tightly around her body, using his momentum to send them both crashing into the trash cans on the other side of the street. They landed hard on the ground, skulls snapping on the concrete and skin tearing on gravel. Karai's breathing was harsh and uneven, Don pushing himself up.

Their eyes met. Brown on gold, both wide, searching, completely at a loss. Don's heart lodged in his throat, racing and stealing his voice. Blood roared in his ears and he could barely breathe. A single black strand sat in the middle of Karai's forehead and for a moment, they only stared at each other.

"Do-Doushite?"

Don blinked, her voice shattering his trance.

"I-I don't know. I don't know."

She stared, mouth parted slightly, taking several more deep breaths before kneeing him in the stomach and rolling over. Don doubled over, gasping for air as he watched her stumble to her feet. She glanced back at him, eyes still wide as black smoke exploded between them, concealing her.

When it cleared, Don was alone.


	2. II

**So, this chapter is beyond overdue. I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to stop it, and I'm still not sure if it exactly where I want it to be, but I think where this one ends will do for now. **

**I wanted to thank everyone for their kind reviews. I wasn't entirely sure how this would be received and I'm glad it seems to be coming along smoothly. I will hopefully be able to get back to everyone soon-ish. Maybe not today, but definitely in the next few days.**

**And, before I forget, yes the word Doushite translates into "Why" from Japanese to English. Good work!**

* * *

"So, how'd your study date with April and Casey go?" Leo asked, smirking when Don rolled his eyes. Cool night air swept over them, the roofs keeping them relatively free from the exhaust fumes of the vehicles below.

"It would have been just fine if Casey hadn't been there. I swear, it's like I'm trying to teach Mikey how to code an algorithm program. I don't think April was kidding when she said he'd never opened a textbook." Don shook his head, wincing when his shoulder throbbed. Leo narrowed his eyes at Don's grimace.

"Are you sure you're ready for a patrol? You were pretty banged up after that fight with...Karai," Leo said her name slowly, eyes distant. He fisted his hands, entire body tensing.

"I'm sure, Leo." Don studied his brother, swallowing a lump in his throat. "It's not like this is your fault, so don't act like it is."

"I told her to leave you guys alone. To keep you out of this, She's mad at me and what I did, there's no reason to go dragging my brothers-"

"And we're all actively fighting the Foot clan. You know they have an alliance with the Kraang and that the Kraang, in turn, are after April." Don shook his head, glaring at the sky, "We're going to wind up fighting her, no matter what you happened to tell her."

Don trailed off. He'd told neither April or his family about the last portion of his "fight" with Karai, and he still wasn't sure why. It's not like their trash talk was surprising, although he wasn't sure how much constituted trash talk. And saving her from a car-was it that strange? It didn't seem to be, but his stomach still tightened when he thought of the incident.

"She went too far. With you. With April."

"Leo..." Don stopped when he spotted several cloaked figures moving* down the alley. Leo noticed as well, pushing himself next to Don and pulling out his binoculars. Foot bots moved quickly down the allet, stopping at the end of a warehouse. One bot yanked open a basement grate, allowing the others to slip inside.

"What's happening?"

"Some Foots bots breaking into that warehouse by Winderby. But why? Are you sure there's no mutagen around here?"

"The tracker's silent. I'm sure. Besides, why would the Shredder steal from the Kraang. I'm sure he can just ask for mutagen." Don shook his head, double taking when he saw movement on the warehouse roof. "Don't look now but they're coming in from above too."

Leo sighed. "You've got to be kidding me." He moved the binoculars up, glaring at the smaller group while they drilled a hole in the roof. "We need to call Raph and Mikey back, there might be more on the way and I don't want us getting overwhelmed." Leo couldn't resist glaring at Don, making the tall turtle snap."

"Come on, Leo, I told you I'm fine. I can handle them and I can handle this."

"I'm not saying you can't handle anything, I'm saying we could be overwhelmed."

Don narrowed his eyes. "We can't just wait. If they're stealing some advanced technology, we might not have the time to wait. I mean," Don glanced back at the warehouse, then Leo, "how many are there?"

Leo rolled his eyes, looking back. Three-no, wait, two on the roof," Leo corrected when one slid down the new hole in the roof. "And five in the alley." He felt Don's burning stare on his shell and checked his phone, trying to estimate how long it would take Mikey and Raph to get there. Pinching the space between his eyes, he said, "You can take the two on the roof. I'll jump in from the hole they made and when Mikey and Raph get here, they can attack from the outside while I ambush them from within."

"But won't you need back-up once you get inside?" Don pressed.

"I'm not engaging them all right away. When Mikey and Raph are less than a minute away, I'm kicking some bot butt. You worry about the roof, all right?" Don exhaled and nodded at Leo, crouching low. They ran along the rooftops, each making a low leap to the fire escape an alley over. Don's shoulder and leg burned during the climb, but the pain became a whisper when the Foot bots came into view. He pulled his staff out and squeezed the blade free, thrusting it through one bot's chest and kicking the other down in one fluid motion. Don yanked the naginata out of the shredded metal and swung it through the second, sticking the blade right between the insect-like eyes.

Donatello stared at the bot until the color in its eyes dimmed, easing the blade from the android's face. He straightened his body out, releasing a quiet sigh. The blood ran hot beneath his injuries, throbbing down to his bones, but he couldn't stop the pride from swelling on his face.

Donatello grinned at Leo. Leo smiled back, ghosting a hand on Don't uninjured shoulder. "Stay here, though," he muttered at Don't hopeful look. "Sorry," he added, when Don's face fell, "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Don shook his head. "If I don't hear from you."

"You'll come after me, I know." Leo's smile widened, and he jumped down the hole before Don could argue another word. Don's gaze drifted down into the blackness of the warehouse. The only things he could make out were bulky shadows of what he thought were machines. _At least he'll be able to hide behind some of those-really sneak up on them. Assuming they can't detect his movements already. _

The air around Don shifted and his skin prickled. He tightened his grip around his staff when he voice caught him from behind.

"Funny seeing you here."

Don slowly turned around, completely silent, to find Karai only a few feet away from him. Without even realizing it, he scanned her for injuries, noting the way she leaned on her right side and a bruise peeked out from her armor, right around her neck. She didn't smile, eyes hard as she took him in.

"Why are you-and the bots-" Don's tongue twisted around and he was almost glad when Karai cut him off.

"I'm the only who gets to ask anything." Her eyes slit and she took a half-step toward him. Don ran his thumb up and down his staff, breathing quickened. There was a pause and then, "Just why did you save me yesterday?"

"I already told you. I don't know."

"And I'm just supposed to accept that?" She snorted. "Did you think it would soften me up or something? That I would just forget what your brother did? What your _father_ did?"

Anger bubbled in Don's stomach and he inched closer. "Don't-"

"Maybe you thought I wouldn't be able to move in time on my own or-"

"I saved you because I didn't want you to get hurt! I didn't want to see you get run over or dragged down the street or anything like that," Don shot. "There's no ulterior motive or complicated _scheme_. I just didn't want you to die!"

Karai's eyes widened, air stilling between them, but her glare came back in one breath. "You expect me to believe that?"

Don sighed explosively, running a hand over his face. "You wanted to know why and there it is. I'm not telling you to believe it. I'm not even expecting you to. I just-I saw you trying to get away and then-then you screamed. And even if you managed to puncture the tires or shatter the windshield, the car's momentum would have sent it right over you." Don slipped into his analytic side, feeling safe in the mechanics of the situation and its repercussions. His voice was soft but before he could continue, Karai's smoldering eyes stopped him.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "I didn't ask for your help, turtle. I didn't need it and I didn't want it." She closed her eyes, ran her fingers through her hair. Tousled black strands fell around her face and she sighed again. "I didn't want it."

Don swallowed. His mouth was dry and body tight, unsure of what to do next. "I-" he stopped and licked his lips, "I didn't want you to die."

Karai's face was unreadable, hands fisting at her sides.

"We're enemies," she said eventually, voice imperceptibly softer, "We're fighting-our families our fighting."

"Not everything you heard is true." Don's voice was barely above a whisper. New York seemed to disappear. It was just Donatello and Karai, feet from one another, trying to understand what had happened between their fight, the car, the two of them landing bruised and battered in the alley.

"Your brother tried to kill my father." Bitterness crept into her voice, a shot of sound in the quiet between them. Don's stomach tightened but she spoke before he could think of a response, "I've hurt your little _crush. __S_talked her the other night." She tilted her head, leaned forward, as if trying to make a child understand, "We fought and you-then you-"

"My body just moved," he said. He wasn't supposed to be talking with Karai, with the Foot, on the roof, but there he was. He didn't know why, didn't understand it, his mouth just kept moving. "I saw you lying in the street and the car coming and I just moved. I didn't think about it, I just moved."

Karai's shoulder sagged but her eyes searched Donatello's face. "Really? You didn't think about it at all?"

"There wasn't even time! Karai, not every-" Beeping from his t-phone stopped him and he pulled it out to read a text from Raph:

"Alrdy done. Easy nthn cool. Y wre they here"

Resisting the urge to text tips about grammar and spelling, he scrunched his face at the message. Mind whirring, something clicked and he said, "Karai, did-did you just set this up so we could-" Looking up, he met nothing but wind, Karai having slipped into the shadows of the night. Don tightened his grip on the phone, looking around but seeing only apartments, streetlights, and the New York skyline. He glanced back at the hole in the warehouse, swallowing a little before slipping inside.

His brothers were already looking around, a few of the fluorescent lights switched on and filling the building with pale, flickering light. Mikey grinned when he saw Don drop down from above.

"Hey, D! Leo tells me you've been busy kicking some Kraang-Foot butt!" Mikey held his fist up at Donnie, smile stretching across his entire face. Don rolled his eyes but softly bumped Mikey's fist, scanning the room.

The warehouse was rather bare; furniture covered in tarps were pushed against the walls, some of them having slipped from the tables, futons, and mahogany chairs. Dust coated everything, from the exposed furniture, to the tarps, to the light switches and windows. Aside from a single abandoned desk sitting toward the back right of the room, and the heap of mangled Foot bots, there was nothing that really stood out.

"No Kraang tech, do high powered weapons, not even a single canister of mutagen," Leo said, face perplexed.

"Absolutely no reason for them to be here," Don murmured.

Raph threw his hands in the air. "This doesn't make any sense! Why the shell did they come here? Are they trying to furnish a new lab or something?"

"Dude..." Mikey's eyes bugged, slowly turning toward Raph. "That's it! The Foot and the Kraang are working together to start some furniture company! Then, when their business starts to take off, they'll hire people and turn them into mutant chair clerks! They'll lure all of New York-"

"Mikey," all three brothers said at once.

"What?"

"That's not what they're planning," Leo finished. "It's more like they weren't planning anything."

"Why bother? Did they lure us here? Are we walking into an ambush?" Raph barely got the words out before one of the android's started sparking. He thew his sai through its head, android's eyes dying like a lightbulb. Silence fell between them all, but nothing else moved or made a sound. They waited, breath caught, until they were sure nothing was coming for them. The longer they stood there, the harder Donatello it his lip, heart clenching.

_No way. There's no way that's the only reason she did this. Come on, I think I'd rather fight more bots than-than-_

"I guess, if they were doing that, it would have happened by now," Leo said eventually, eying the windows. "Which only makes this whole thing even weirder." Leo turned to Don, "What do you make of all this?"

Absently, Don rubbed at his injured arm, trying to think of a response. "I'm not sure. They could be lulling us into some false sense of security. Maybe they have something bigger planned for us down the line and they're just trying to make us feel safe." _What am I doing? Why don't I just tell them what happened. It's not like it meant-that you-well, maybe I'm right about this whole security thing._

Raph nodded, glaring at the windows. "I betcha that's exactly what they're up to. We need to start looking around more, try to catch them off guard." Leo still kept an eye on Don, expression unreadable. Don shifted his shoulders and turned away; his arm started throbbing again, noticeable now that the danger, if there had really ever been any, had passed.

"Fine," Leo said when Raph started glaring at him, impatient in the silence, "Tomorrow we'll start patrol a little earlier, see if we can spot anything. If they really are up to something, we need to stay on guard and be there when it happens."

"I still think they're decorating an apartment. All businesses have to start somewhere, right?"

"Sure they do, Mikey."


End file.
